Attitude of medical students towards basic patient safety rules- an initial screening towards the global culture of patient safety in Pakistan

Background: Globalization has affected all dimensions of human society, particularly education and healthcare of the people has seen greater transition. The field of medical education currently demands for professional education which can produce global professional health care specialists who can provide quality services to maintain globally accepted standards. According to the National Patient Safety Agency, patient safety is the vigorous process by which organization try to provide safe care to the patients by avoiding accidental injuries and preventing adverse outcomes as the result of health care (Kohn et al. 1999; WHO, 2005). Patient safety education is a demanding phenomenon and students and teachers are at the heart of it. Unless we create awareness among graduates towards patient safety, we cannot expect safe healthcare institutions. In current scenario, this research was undertaken to assess the attitude of medical students towards basic patient safety rules and to understand the role of medical education in promoting the culture of patient safety in Pakistan. Methods: The overall study is based on survey research design. The population consisted of all the Medical students in Karachi. Through purposive sampling, the total number of two medical institutions was selected, while through random sampling n=200 respondents were selected, studying in their final year of MBBS. The data was collected through structured questionnaire and analyzed through tables and graphs. Results: Majority of the respondents have basic knowledge about patient safety, but their attitude towards management, colleagues and self practice reflect hesitation. Most of the medical students understand the importance of learning about patient safety issues, but are not willing to take responsibility, if make any error, related to patient safety in their practical life. Most of the respondents are willing to compromise safety concerns of their patients. Majority of the respondents believe that competent physician does make error. Most of the students learnt about patient safety during their coursework and also highlighted the role of patient safety training, but the attitude and lack of concern over many areas of patient safety reflect missing gap between their knowledge and attitude towards patient safety Conclusions: There is a dire need to revise the curricula of MBBS and to teach practical patient safety rules and courses to the students before they enter to the practical life. Key words: patient safety, attitude, knowledge, medical student

Understanding the perceptions of children battling cancer about self and others through drawing

Background: Childhood cancer is a stressful experience and may cause a change in the child′s perception of himself/ herself, the family and the world around him/ her. Aims: This study sought to (a) explore the self-perception of children; and (b) examine the relation of children with others. Materials and Methods: The total population of the study consisted of all the children, undergoing cancer treatment at Children Cancer Hospital, located in Karachi. The participants were asked to draw a drawing on self and others. Through qualitative approach (phenomenology), themes and sub-themes were derived. Results: Using purposive sampling, the total sample size drawn for this study was 78 children aged 7-12, receiving treatment for cancer (1st stage) at the Children Cancer Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan. The drawings of the children were categorized into facial expressions, self images and family ties. Within each category, there were sub-categories. Under facial expressions, the common emotions reflected were sadness, seriousness, anger; and pain. The self-image pictures uniformly reflected low self-esteem, especially focusing on hair loss, missing body parts. Under the category of family ties, most of the children′s drawings reflected their isolation or emotional detachment from or abandonment by their family members. Conclusions: The study concludes that the self- image of most of the participants is deteriorated and they are socially isolated. Social and moral support can bring positive emotional development and helps to correct their self-perception